my b16 compression

ok i did a compression check on my b16a and this is what it read.
1-10.9
2-11.2
3-12.0
4-12.0

tell me what this means. is it a bad motor or what?

well there was 2 different readings on the guage. so the other would be around 178 or 175 all the way across. i rechecked them. so does this mean the motor is good

well there was 2 different readings on the guage. so the other would be around 178 or 175 all the way across. i rechecked them. so does this mean the motor is good

that does seam a little low. but do NOT worry. You're motor does seem like it's in excellent shape by how close the comression is in each cylinder.
You can't got by the "numbers"...you just have to maker sure each cyllinder is withing 15 psi of each other. Every compression tester is different so you can't relate your results to someone else's motor unless you test another motor with the same compression tester, and do it the same way (turn it over the same amount of times).
You're good man.

yes. thats all i wanted to hear. its even better to hear it from you. i can trust you. you seem like you know alot. so tell me why my car aint starting up. i have spark for sure and fuel for sure. i did do you mulit point swap to it but it is getting fuel to each cylinder and spark. im pretty sure i have the firing order correct. 1342 from the bottom left side of the dizzy. i dont know what to do. i might sound like an idiot but can i just turn it over without a exhaust manifold on. just to see if it will start. or will it not start?

yes. thats all i wanted to hear. its even better to hear it from you. i can trust you. you seem like you know alot. so tell me why my car aint starting up. i have spark for sure and fuel for sure. i did do you mulit point swap to it but it is getting fuel to each cylinder and spark. im pretty sure i have the firing order correct. 1342 from the bottom left side of the dizzy. i dont know what to do. i might sound like an idiot but can i just turn it over without a exhaust manifold on. just to see if it will start. or will it not start?

The way you described your firing order doesn't sound right. Should be...
34
12

I guess if you mean from bottom left counter clockwise then that would be correct...

compression of 175 is awesome. i doubt you could get that out of a new motor unless your running high compression pistons. i beleive a normal motor is around 130.

compression of 175 is awesome. i doubt you could get that out of a new motor unless your running high compression pistons. i beleive a normal motor is around 130.

I believe b16 has 10.2-5:1 compression and that seems pretty high in my book.

my b16 had between 180-190 across the board.

when i did my first swap i wired up vtec wrong and that caused it to not start. trying unhooking the vtec solenoid and the pressure switch and see if it starts. if it does that means you wired it backwards.

oh i havent even wired vtec yet. i thought it was an option if i wanted to or not. i know it needs the knock sensor but i just figured it would run crappy. but i dont think i put my tps sensor on correctly. could that be the cause maybe it isnt even reading an idle.

The way you described your firing order doesn't sound right. Should be...
34
12

I guess if you mean from bottom left counter clockwise then that would be correct...

that's exactly what he said bro. 1342 starting from the bottom left of the dizzy. you even typed it out...the "1" is in the bottom left. A bad tps wouldn't stop a car from starting, it will just run rich. Also, 130 IS low as shit for any honda motor.

my mini me for comparison is at 215 all the way across (i rebuilt it).
my lsvtec is 260-270 all the way across.
my old b20 motor was 175-180 all the way across (9.2:1 compression)

I did these all with the same tester, and tested them the same way.
DON'T use these numbers to compare to your motor. Every compression tester is different.

You're supposed to have the car fully warmed up first. Then, disconnect the ecu or main relay, hold the throttle fully open, and crank each cylinder like 10 times (or until compression doesn't go any higher).

This is straight out of the Haynes manual
B16A2:
Standard=184psi
Minimum=135psi
Maximum variation between cylinders=28psi

Just using that for educational purposes. Like i said, don't compare these numbers to the book, because chances are, you aren't using the same tester they did.

Also, if you don't have an exhaust manifold on your motor right now, the compression numbers will go up when you bolt one on, as well as the exhaust.

I already pmed you, but i'll say it again anyway. If you don't have a manifold bolted on, it won't start. It may, if the motor was high compression (like 13:1 or higher). You're compression is just bleeding out of the cylinders when the cams overlap.

how bout that video of the hatch that ran wide open for like 20 mins with no coolant, had no header at all...not doubting you at all, nor am I willing to fire mine up without a header to prove you wrong, just interjecting..

how bout that video of the hatch that ran wide open for like 20 mins with no coolant, had no header at all...not doubting you at all, nor am I willing to fire mine up without a header to prove you wrong, just interjecting..

do you know what the compression was in the motor? what was the motor's displacement? what cams? Did it idle on it's own, or did he have to hold the gas down all the way? I'd be interested to see that video if you have a link...just curious. The guy who did that is retarded anyway, it's not smart to run your motor without coolant for an extended period of time, and it's not smart to run it without a manifold...it will overheat his exhaust valves and valve seals without scavenging from the exhaust.
I didn't say it was impossible. I just said his STOCK b16 won't start without a manifold of some sort. Most V6/V8's can do it no problem...because they have alot of displacement.
This is what's going to happen (as long as the motor is mechanically sound otherwise):
1. he is going to bolt on the manifold
2. it will start

how bout that video of the hatch that ran wide open for like 20 mins with no coolant, had no header at all...not doubting you at all, nor am I willing to fire mine up without a header to prove you wrong, just interjecting..

not sure what his purpose was but i know they have competitions with small blocks where professional builders will build a fresh motor put no oil in it and see how long they last.

Well I was really just referrin to it running with no header..

yeah frodo is right i have seen that video. the arent stupid well i think so. they were just trying to blow it/ssee how much it could take. but then again they could have just said that and they are in fact stupid but who knows but them. anyway. i just put the header on i got today. its from a 94+gsr integra. and by the way never buy one for your crx with probly any b series in it. it sits very low i guess i will post pics. my car aint that low. this thing hits the ground when i check my suspension. up-down-up-bang-up bang is just a sneek peek of what happens.

http://img239.imageshack.us/img239/6987/imag00340kf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/9480/imag00353zh.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3289/imag00369fd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

OO sportin the 2 lugz woop woop.

yeah frodo is right i have seen that video. the arent stupid well i think so. they were just trying to blow it/ssee how much it could take. but then again they could have just said that and they are in fact stupid but who knows but them. anyway. i just put the header on i got today. its from a 94+gsr integra. and by the way never buy one for your crx with probly any b series in it. it sits very low i guess i will post pics. my car aint that low. this thing hits the ground when i check my suspension. up-down-up-bang-up bang is just a sneek peek of what happens.

what did you expect man? You have a B in your crx...any header is pretty much going to sit low. Welcome to the world of swapped honda's...
actually, that's how you can tell if a honda is swapped...no need to look under the hood...just look under the front of the car, if you see a header hanging lower than the frame...bingo!
of course it's not always true...if they have a stock header..

anyway...time to stiffen your suspension....that's how it works. One upgrade just leads to another.

yeah i guess so. i was thinking the same thing with the stiff suspension but i would rather get the car running first. know what i mean. i got the header on spark+good motor+fual should = chearp into 3rd right? help me out i ran the vtec/knock sensor/2nd o2 sensor today and am going to wire it to the ecu tomorrow or tonight if i can find the info for the ecu pins.

yeah i guess so. i was thinking the same thing with the stiff suspension but i would rather get the car running first. know what i mean. i got the header on spark+good motor+fual should = chearp into 3rd right? help me out i ran the vtec/knock sensor/2nd o2 sensor today and am going to wire it to the ecu tomorrow or tonight if i can find the info for the ecu pins.

did you mean "chirp into third"?
that is no indication of how much power your are making...just that you have shitty tires. Chirping or spinning tires between shifts just slows you down; it's less time that you're putting power to the pavement. Don't get pissed if your car doesn't spin em between gears...I wouldn't want it to anyway. If you have some bad tires on there, then yah, it should "chirp" second at least.
My lsvtec doesn't spin a daym bit between gears even with my exedy clutch. That's because I have good tires...BFG drag radials.

My header doesnt hand below the car like that at all...DC header too, I might take a piclater, its maybe 1/2" lower than the crossmember, true, it does have some dings in it (previous owner, not from me) but it sure as hell doesnt hit everytime I hit a bump..

i just meant my car will run if i have those two things. not anything by the chirp into third. i just want this thing to run. what could it be. oh and i finished the wiring and still nothing. my tps is still on wrong tho.

mine will squeal all the way through second and chirp in third..maybe I need new tires.

i just meant my car will run if i have those two things. not anything by the chirp into third. i just want this thing to run. what could it be. oh and i finished the wiring and still nothing. my tps is still on wrong tho.
you check for the basics yet? fuel, spark, and timing? check ur grounds too.

yes. i checked those things already. i even checked about 3 times. spark fuel is there my grounds seem to be ok. i have two grounds both with 4 guage wire. oine to the passenger side mount hole and the tranny. the other goes from the driver side mount to the valve cover. my actuall ground from the battery is going to the tail lights ground and 4 guage as well as the power wire 4 guage and ran all the way up front and to the starter/ fuse box/ everything turns on eccept brake lights, blinkers, brights. but i will deal with that leter. any other ideas?

yes. i checked those things already. i even checked about 3 times. spark fuel is there my grounds seem to be ok. i have two grounds both with 4 guage wire. oine to the passenger side mount hole and the tranny. the other goes from the driver side mount to the valve cover. my actuall ground from the battery is going to the tail lights ground and 4 guage as well as the power wire 4 guage and ran all the way up front and to the starter/ fuse box/ everything turns on eccept brake lights, blinkers, brights. but i will deal with that leter. any other ideas?

you have to have them grounded to the body, not the mount man. Remember, there's rubber in the mount, so if it's grounded to the mount, it's not getting to the frame.
Redo all your grounds and sand them down. Sand the ground wire down, the all the contact points.
Hope you're not forgetting the wiring harness ground on the THERMOSTAT. That't the most important one. You should have one from your valve cover to your frame. One from your transmission (the clutch cable bracket) to the frame, and then from the frame to your negative battery terminal.

Does the car even turn over like it's trying to start? How do you know you are getting fuel? Do you smell fuel? I mean, if you have fuel, spark, and compression, theoretically it should start, as long as both the ignition and cam timing are dead on. Set your motor to TDC and check the timing. Also, play with your distributor to see if the ignition timing is off for some reason. Loosen all the distributor bolts and have some try starting the car, meanwhile you are turning it forward or back slowly to see if the car tries to start better, or even starts.

The following things are the things you need for a car to run...this is it.
1. fuel
2. sufficient compression
3. air coming in
4. spark
5. ignition timing
6. cam timing

if any of those are bad or off, it may try to start, but won't.

ok sorry my fault i thould have told you guys this before. ok i have the grounds mounted to the chassis side where you put the bol threw and then threw the mount. the thing theat the washer fluid is hanging on. the other one is to the clutch cable braket and then to the other mount where the battery trey gets bolted in. and as for if i know i have fuel, spark. i have takin the fuel rail off and cranked it and watched fuil come from each injector and different times so i could get as far down the fuel system as a could. and as for spark i tested every wire from the dizzy with my test plug, and every one sparked real strongly. what was the b16 spark plug gap measurment again. i put it as close to 44 as i could. the motor does crank. while my battery is charged anyway. and we did the dizzt thing and nothing not even i little improvement. can you give me i picture or a diagram or just tell me where the timing dead center is exactly. i will go get a manual right now. what should i get it for? thanks alot

ok sorry my fault i thould have told you guys this before. ok i have the grounds mounted to the chassis side where you put the bol threw and then threw the mount. the thing theat the washer fluid is hanging on. the other one is to the clutch cable braket and then to the other mount where the battery trey gets bolted in. and as for if i know i have fuel, spark. i have takin the fuel rail off and cranked it and watched fuil come from each injector and different times so i could get as far down the fuel system as a could. and as for spark i tested every wire from the dizzy with my test plug, and every one sparked real strongly. what was the b16 spark plug gap measurment again. i put it as close to 44 as i could. the motor does crank. while my battery is charged anyway. and we did the dizzt thing and nothing not even i little improvement. can you give me i picture or a diagram or just tell me where the timing dead center is exactly. i will go get a manual right now. what should i get it for? thanks alot

just look at the crank pulley. There's 3 marks, then one by itself. There's a mark on the lower timing cover. Align the mark by itself with the timing cover. Then see if the cam gears are aligned.

cool i will look again. i dident see the timing cover marking.

hey dudes i just finally got my b16 to start for the first time today!! i gotta drain some oil tho cuz theres way too much in it and it started to smoke a little today . when i get home in the morning im gonna drain some then let the car idle for about 10 mins to let the fluids travel thru.

oh and about the header thing yea mine hangs low too lol i noticed it yesterday when i put the car down and was like shit..gotta finish my suspension. ive got neuspeed springs waiting to go on the back but im gonna have to drill and cut some stuff to get the old shocks out cuz they are rusted in. im just gonna have a shop do it later this summer if i save some money. ill get some pics of everything up soon. im so stoked my car is finally gonna run again! i plan on driving it a lot around my house to break it in tomorrow lol

yay at least somone has the b16 swap going for them. good for you and we need pics asap. hurry. hit vtec for me.

you're suppose to have 3 grounds, not two.

you should have 1 on the valve cover, one on the thermostat housing, or near it, and one going from the clutch bracket,

I once forgot to hook up my valve cover ground and the motor wouldnt start, hooked it up, and she fired right up.

you also checked all your fuses, right?

i havent checked all the fuses the under hood ones i have checked they are good. and yes i have all three grounds. i just thought the ts one was a givin sorry. any other suggestions. i really want to get this started

i dont get it i have fuel i have spark and a good motor. im pretty sure its the timing but i have checked that and it looks good. what could this be?

you checked to make sure the cams are lined up when the crank in on tdc?

i havent checked all the fuses the under hood ones i have checked they are good. and yes i have all three grounds. i just thought the ts one was a givin sorry. any other suggestions. i really want to get this started

hey, snap some pics of your crank pulley when you set it to TDC and then snap some pics of the cam gears when the block is set to TDC.

Here's some pic for ya.
http://img8.picsplace.to/img8/17/1_140.JPG
http://img8.picsplace.to/img8/17/2_081.JPG

oh thanks so much. i found the threee marks on my crank pully and the one that is by itself. i was lining it up whong the hole time. looks like it is way off now. i will take some pics off where it is and then get started on fixing it. those pics helped alot thanks guys.

oh thanks so much. i found the threee marks on my crank pully and the one that is by itself. i was lining it up whong the hole time. looks like it is way off now. i will take some pics off where it is and then get started on fixing it. those pics helped alot thanks guys.

No problem. I know pictures are worth a thousand words. Yah, line that single mark on the crank pulley up with that line on the timing belt cover. Then snap a picture of that for us, and a picture of where your cam gears are at. You might have to turn it 180 degrees to get the cam gears up.

ok here is the crank at tdc and ther gears about 45 degrees off.
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/8938/imag00523ko.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
i am gonna fix it right now. oh i need to know is that cap on the timing cover the tensiner. thanks

ok here is the crank at tdc and ther gears about 45 degrees off.
http://img296.imageshack.us/img296/8938/imag00523ko.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
i am gonna fix it right now. oh i need to know is that cap on the timing cover the tensiner. thanks

yes.

I don't see how you're timing could be that off though and not hit valves, and still end up with good compression. But, if you say that you are sure the bottom end is at TDC, then it is definitely off. Do this:
set block to TDC.
loosen tensioner.
slip off belt.
adjust cam gears.
slip belt back on.

now, rotate the cam gears 3 teeth counter clockwise at the crank pulley bolt. Then, tighten the tensioner.

well i got some bad news. i fixed it up and turned it over and burnt 2 valves. SIKE HAHA MY CAR RUNNS LET THE CHARGER SITT FOR ABOUT 5 MINS WALKED UP AND STARTED IT RIGHT UP. I WAS SO EXCITED I ACCEDENTLY LEFT WITH THE CAR CHARGER STILL PLUGED IN. YES. BUT NOWE THAT IT IS RUNNING I CAN TELL I WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH LIKE TIMORROW OR AS SOON AS MY POOR SELF CAN GET SOME MONEY. (HYBRID IM COMIN YOUR WAY) BUT ANYWAY THANKS ALOT ANOTHER AF THREAD FINISHED. THANKS EVERYONE I LOVE YOU. J/K I THINK IM A LITTLE TO EXCITED. OH WELL

Haha, yay! Score one for the good guys! Thats awesome man!

only thing bad about ut is i dident get bambams tip on the 3 teeth counter clockwise. huh. but it runs right now. and im starting to think it isnt the clutch but the timing needs for adjusting. when i press the gas it seems like it dies for a second then once im driving at about 3k rpm's it kicks in. not like im stomping on it but you feel the actuall everday driving speed.

Im sure there is something thats not quite right, but um dude...its a b16..they really have no torque, so take-offs are a little weird if your not trying.

well i got some bad news. i fixed it up and turned it over and burnt 2 valves. SIKE HAHA MY CAR RUNNS LET THE CHARGER SITT FOR ABOUT 5 MINS WALKED UP AND STARTED IT RIGHT UP. I WAS SO EXCITED I ACCEDENTLY LEFT WITH THE CAR CHARGER STILL PLUGED IN. YES. BUT NOWE THAT IT IS RUNNING I CAN TELL I WILL NEED TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH LIKE TIMORROW OR AS SOON AS MY POOR SELF CAN GET SOME MONEY. (HYBRID IM COMIN YOUR WAY) BUT ANYWAY THANKS ALOT ANOTHER AF THREAD FINISHED. THANKS EVERYONE I LOVE YOU. J/K I THINK IM A LITTLE TO EXCITED. OH WELL

So it WAS the timing?
But anywhoo, we got it running. That's 3 cars on here in the last week! Glad to hear it's going.

Read your other thread about your new problem, i posted a possible solution in there.
Also, you know what you have to do now right?
swap in a 1.8 block!

i have already thought of that one and if i come by a ok looking block i might just snatch it up and built me an lsvtec. but for now i want to get this thing running right. im always gonna want somthing more.